The Vaccine That Fights Against HPV and Cancer

It needs to be a priority.

This article was originally written for self.com by Korin Miller. It has been given minor edits before re-posting.

You’ve probably heard that it’s important for girls and boys to get the human papilloma virus vaccine. After all, the vaccine can help prevent cervical, vulvar, vagina, anal, penile, and throat cancers caused by HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. But as the New York Times explains, few people are actually taking advantage of this revolutionary preventive measure. According to the Times, as of 2014, just 40 percent of girls and 21 percent of boys ages 13 to 17 had received all three doses of the HPV vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that four out of 10 girls and six out of 10 boys haven’t even gotten one vaccination.

Electra Paskett, Ph.D., a professor and cancer prevention and control expert at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, tells SELF that the data is “disappointing.” “This is a cancer vaccine, and I have a hard time understanding why parents aren’t lining the sidewalk to get their children protected from cancer,” she says.

But women’s health expert Jennifer Wider, M.D., says that the vaccine is largely misunderstood. “Since the beginning, when this vaccine became available, there has been a tremendous amount of misinformation circulating about it,” she tells SELF, noting that several public figures have linked the vaccine to developmental disabilities, despite no scientific evidence to back that up. “I’m still addressing these false claims when I give lectures,” Wider says.

Maureen Whelihan, M.D., an ob/gyn at the Center for Sexual Health & Education, agrees, telling SELF that many parents are “afraid” of vaccinations, so they avoid ones that aren’t deemed absolutely vital by their child’s pediatrician. The fact that HPV is an STI adds to the fear. “Parents are never ready to consider that their child is [or will be] sexually active,” she says. Some parents are concerned that giving a child the vaccine is the same as giving them the OK to be promiscuous, Wider says, adding, “there is absolutely no evidence that there is a link.”

Another issue is that initially, ob/gyns were the main source for these vaccinations because it’s recommended for women up to 26 years old (but gynecologists recommend getting it even if you’re older than that). Pediatricians are now the main point of contact since it was discovered that the ideal time to give the vaccine is around age 11 or 12, before a person has had sexual contact. “Parents aren’t getting a strong recommendation from physicians and healthcare providers to get [the vaccine] at the 11- or 12-year-old well child visits when other shots are given,” Paskett says. “The HPV vaccine is only mandatory in two states and the District of Columbia now, so it is viewed as ‘and you can get this one if you want.’”

The fact that the HPV vaccine is a series of three shots spread out over time is also an obstacle, Whelihan says—especially for busy people who may not remember to follow up with the second and third shots.

As for the incredibly low vaccination rate in boys, Whelihan says it could simply be a byproduct of the fact that the vaccine was first FDA-approved for girls. It wasn’t until several years later—after marketing campaigns had already stressed that this was a vaccine for girls—that it was found to be beneficial for boys as well.

Overall, Paskett says a lack of understanding about the vaccine and what it can achieve is a huge hurdle. “Something most people do not understand is that we need to get the percent of the eligible population vaccinated to 80 percent to wipe the virus out (the epidemiologic term is ‘herd immunity’)—not just vaccinate those who might be more likely to get it,” she says. “That’s why we don’t see polio, measles, mumps, etc. like we did before vaccines for these diseases—we exceeded that herd immunity.”

While it’s often seen as voluntary, experts say more parents should strongly consider getting their kids vaccinated against HPV, and adults should get vaccinated, too, on the off chance they haven’t been exposed yet. “This vaccine is an incredible medical breakthrough,” Wider says.